my recipe for fried chicken

the first time i made fried chicken it was for the fourth of july in 2003. since then i made it every july 4th, and then starting when i moved to LA, i made it for my birthday every year.

shza recently asked for my recipe so here's all my chicken knowledge published on the internet for posterity:

here's the very long email i sent him:

so for the chicken, i've made it so long, i don't even have a real
recipe, i just eyeball everything.

CHICKEN

people like chicken breast b/c white and low fat, but no flavor and
dry. chefs prefer thighs b/c dark, juicier, taste more like chicken.
i generally cook thighs. drumsticks are oddly shaped. wings too,
they are small as well.

bone-in v. boneless. i think i'm going to start experimenting w/
boneless. i haven't really done much w/ it before. it will
definitely cut down on the cooking time. one of the main problems w/
frying chicken is that it takes longest to cook the meat nearest the
bone.

BRINING IN BUTTERMILK

brine w/ normal brining ratios (salt). the buttermilk is acidic and
will breakdown the meat and make it really moist. you can throw in
whatever spices you want w/ the brine. one quart carton is good for
one tray of thighs (16 pieces or so in the big trays). also, i
usually crush at least half a head of garlic and throw it in.
sometimes tabasco. or srirachi. or maple syrup. or honey. whatever
you want.

i brine overnight, at least 12 hours. jon and vinnie of two dudes one
pan / animal restuarant say at least 2 days, and 3 days for bone-in
chicken. i just got that book, and i'm definitely going to try that
next time.

[ed note: i did an experimental asian fried chicken brined overnight
in soy sauce/water, garlic, ginger, scallions, and sugar. dredged
in panko]

SPICES

here are spices that you can add to the buttermilk brine and to the
flour you dredge the chicken in. i usually do both. i freestyle w/
whatever i feel like. any combo.

paprika
ground mustard
cumin
black pepper
cayenne
onion powder
chili powder

stuff i've seen in other recipes include: basil, thyme, rosemary,
marjoram, curry powder, cinnamon, clove/allspice

personally, never used them. but could see how they might make it
taste good. for the dried herbs, i'd put them through a grinder /
mortar b/c i'd be afraid if the pieces were too big, they would burn
in the oil.

FLOUR

i think there's a general one cup of flour to 2 tbsp of spices. i
usually just drop the spices in the flour and whisk it. alton brown
recommends mixing up the spices separate and keeping them in an
airtight container in your freezer for whenever you need to spice up
some chicken. i always throw in a good dose of black pepper and salt
in the flour as well. baking powder can be added to supposedly make
the skin crispier. (about 1/2 tsp / one cup flour).

FRYING

you have to make sure that the chicken is out of the fridge for at
least an hour. esp. w/ bone-in chicken b/c that shit is going to be
cold on the inside, esp. near the bone. if you have a rack so that
the chicken can drip off that buttermilk, do that too. it'll warm up
faster as well. (i just throw mine on a really big plate). dredge in
the flour right before you throw it in the oil.

people like cast iron for this. w/ splatter guard. i also like my 6
qt le creuset, b/c it's got high sides and there's less splashing.

oil -- i usually throw some bacon fat in there. i usually use
something with a high smoke point: grapeseed oil or peanut oil (people
have allergies to that). safflower oil too.

if you have a candy thermometer, you should use it. it makes a huge
difference. try to keep the oil at 350-375 at all times. skin side
down first, about ten minutes a side. (you will only get 3-4 pieces
in per cast iron skillet, that's why i have two skillets and the le
creuset all going for parties).

BAKING (optional)

if i'm in a rush, i throw it in the oven at 250 after each side gets a
nice crust. this speeds up the cooking time. i also like doing this
anyways, even at 10 minutes a side (at 200), b/c it drips some of the
oil out the chicken and i'm really paranoid that there will be bloody
veins near the bone. when you have thighs, this is not a worry, if
you have breast, then this is a really bad idea b/c it will get really
dry. that's the story. if i had boneless chicken, i would not do
baking at all.

if you are bringing this somewhere that's not your house, carry in a
paper bag. (also it's good to put on old grocery bags to suck out
oil). if you stick it in something that is airtight, it will get
soggy. that's why KFC comes in a bucket.

when in doubt, photos

i made the really dumb mistake of going surfing this wknd w/o a wetsuit at a place more north than usual. it was really cold. and i was in sweats for the rest of the day and stayed home from work today. working from home.

two food photos from the may east coast adventure:

bbq at hill country:



the incomparable philly pretzel factory:

the gov. from SC

i found out listening to howard stern that they had published some love emails from the governor of SC to his mistress in argentina.

so i googled it.

found this hilarious article about whether the governor is the first emo governor.

the actual emails are here.

these are the good parts:

You are glorious and I hope you really understand that. You do not need a therapist to help you figure your place in the world. You are special and unique and fabulous in a whole host of ways that are worth a much longer conversation.

I have been specializing in staying focused on decisions and actions of the head for a long time now — and you have my heart. You have oh so many attributes that pulls it in this direction. Do you really comprehend how beautiful your smile is? Have you been told lately how warm your eyes are and how they softly glow with the special nature of your soul.

Since our first meeting there in a wind swept somewhat open air dance spot in Punta del Este, I felt that you had that same rare attribute. Above all else I love that inner beauty about you. That gift of yours is going to make a tremendous difference in (deleted sons’ names) life — and in anyone’s life who is blest to be touched by yours — you need to rest very comfortably in that fact. As I mentioned in our last visit, while I did not need love fifteen years ago — as the battle scars of life and aging and politics have worn on this has become a real need of mine. You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that is so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night’s light

Lastly I also suspect I feel a little vulnerable because this is ground I have never certainly never covered before — so if you have pearls of wisdom on how we figure all this out please let me know ... In the meantime please sleep soundly knowing that despite the best efforts of my head my heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul. I love you ... sleep tight. M

top three FB posts re: death of MJ

#3: best text from my sister ever- "Came to a vigil on dupont circle. Candles everywhere.thought it was for mj but turns out it is for iran"

#2: Josh just picked up some really cheap mj concert tickets for the uk comeback tour.

#1: The coroner is ruling Michael Jacksons death as food poisoning. They found 13 year old nuts in his mouth.

the onion hitting really close to home

i might be this guy.

this is an exagerrated version of what happened on friday at work.

brit pop appreciation fridays

sleeper. whom i preferred to elastica and all the other female-fronted bands of the era.

loving LA/california

seriously, this place sucks. it is completely morally bankrupt. it's a sewer.

after my trip to new york, i realized that new york is the abusive husband that you love. it beats you up, but you keep coming back to it. there's too much good in him for you to leave him. he's cultured. he's smart. he's rich. you love him. dirty, bad manners, no heart.

LA on the other hand, is the cheating wife that you just can't leave. she drives you crazy. you know when she's cheating on you. she doesn't care. she's too hot for you to leave her, and you both know she's right. and when it's on, it's totally on. sexy, morally bankrupt, soulless.

you hate yourself for loving both of them, but you keep coming back for more.

past weekend the love affair was torrid. out of my sickness. drive up the coast. wine tasting in santa barbara. rampant egoist consumerism. chilling with buds. waves crashing on the coast. palm trees winking at me. surfing the point. lakers win.

so then what?

this PSA aired right after the win.



and i could not stop watching coverage of this:



you can youtube "lakers riot" and get a bunch of pretty awesome clips. my favorite thing was people ripping down trees and lighting them on fire. why? so they could jump over it, of course. (btw: this is another reason to love LA--don't be confused. i love round the clock riot coverage.)

anyways...speaking of LA being the sexiest woman in the world, another thing i should clear out of the flickr clearinghouse is these pictures of me and z going on a hike. can't hate a city that's got hiking like this.

top of waterfall:





art shot w/ waterfall:



boulder hopping in wilderness--20 minutes from my house!--it's amazing.

forgot to mention

kels and sami had a baby. i'll see her in august.